Editor,
I would like to share my thoughts on the topic of riding the UNM shuttle bus. I need to vent, because I find this means of transportation an atrocity - not because of the service, but because of its patrons.
I feel that common courtesy has been lost. Remember when we were taught to stand in line in the first grade? Think of that the next time you are waiting to board the UNM shuttle, standing in a hoard of people who are so close you can feel the breath of the person beside you on your cheek. The initial push as the door opens, and the sudden lurch as everyone realizes other people need to get out, reminds me of a first push at a concert, right when the headlining band is about to play.
When it is finally time to cross the shuttle's threshold, I find those who take the greatest liberties entering are the smaller women. They are surprisingly fierce, and if you worry you may crush them, they take full advantage and dart in. Then, if by chance you don't let them in, you receive a sharp jab to your side with a rigid elbow or a trendy Prada bag.
The only other time I have ever received such a prodding was when I was trying to push my way up to the front row at a Nickelback concert.
If you think boarding the bus is difficult, try getting off the bus at 3:30 p.m., when everyone is trying to get home and is in too much of a hurry to let you exit. If you do not hurry, you are liable to get shoved and trampled. I was a witness to this when I did not depart in the five seconds allotted for me to get off. A human traffic jam ensued. If the entering passengers had waited a few seconds, we wouldn't have had to rub our bodies against each other in an effort to pass. Everyone would have left unmolested - literally.
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I'm not trying to change the whole UNM shuttle system. I'm not even asking you to be more considerate. I'm just stating the obvious: There will be another bus.
Shivonne George
UNM student
